The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-24

it done? Did Christ come to you and
say, ''Get your mind off this; go out and
breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper into
business No. There was a minute
when he came to you-perhaps in the
watches Of the night, perhaps in your
place of business, perhaps along the street
and he breathed something into your
soul that gave peace, rest, infinite quiet,
so that you could take out the photo
graph of the departed one and look into
the eyes and the face of the dear one and
say: "It is all right; she is better off; l
would not call her back. Lord, / thank
thee that thou hast comforted my poor
heart -
There are Christian parents heEe who
are willing to testify TO the power of this
Gospel to comfort. Your son had lust
graduated from school or college and was
going into business and the Lord ook
him. Or your daughter had Just gradu-
ated from the young ladies seminary and
you thought she was going to be a useful
woman and of long life, but the Lord
took her and you were tempted to say:
"All this culture of twenty years for
nothingl' Or the little child came home
from school with the hot fever that
stopped not for the agonized prayer or for
the skillful physician, and the little child
was taken. Or the babe was lifted out of
| your arms by some quick epidemic and
you stood wondering why God ever gave
| you that child at all if so soon he was to
take it away. And yet you are not repin-
ing, you are not fretful, you are not fight
ing against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
| triaP ''Oh, " you say, II took the medi-
cine that God gave my sick soul. In my
distress l threw myself at the feet of a
sympathizing God; and when l was too
weak 10 pray, or to look up, he breathed
into me peace that think must be the
| foretaste of that heaven where there is
neither a tear, nor a farewell, nor a
grave" Come, all We who have been
out to the grave 10 weep there come, all
| We comforted souls, get up off your
knees. Is there no power in this Gospel
to soothe the heart? Is there no power
| in this religion TO quiet the worst par
oxysm of grief? There comes up an
answer from comforted widowhood, and
orphanage, and childlessness, saying;
| fave, aye, we are witnesses"
Again, l remark that we are witnesses
of the fact that religion has power to give
composure in the last moment. / shall
never forget the first time l confronted
death. We went across the cornfelds in
the country. / was led by my fathers
hand, and we came to the farmhouse
where the bereavement had come, and
we saw the crowd of wagons and car
riages; but there was one carriage that
especially attracted my boyish attention,
and it had black plumes. I said:
whats that? what's that? Why those
black tassels at the top?" and after it was
explained to me | was lifted up to look
upon the bright face of an aged Christian
woman, who three days before had de-
parted in triumph. The whole scene
made an impression l never forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta-
tons we are very apt, when we want TO
bring illustrations of dying triumph, to
go back to some distinguished parsonage
to John Knox or a Harriet Newell.
But l want you for witnesses.
want to know if you have ever seen
anything to make you believe that the
| religion Of Christ can give composure in
the final hour. Now, In the courts, at
torneys, jury and judge viii never admit
mere hearsay. They demand that the
witness must have seen with his own
eyes, or heard with his own ears, and SO
1 am critical in my examination of 5ou
| now; and / want to know whether YOU
k~5e seen or heard anything that makes
you believe that the religion of Christ
gives composure in the final hour.
''Oh, yes, y you say, 81 saw my father
and mother depart. There was a great
difference in their death beds Standing
by the one we felt more veneration. BY
the other, there was more tenderness. >
Before the one, you bowed perhaps il
awe. In the other case, you felt as il
you would Like to go along with her
How did they feel in that last hour
How did they seem to act? Were they
very much frightened? Did they take
hold of this world with both hands as
though they did not want to give it up
''Oh, no, you say; ''no, l remember as
though it were yesterday; she had a kind
word for us all, and there were a few
mementoes distributed among the chill
dren, and then she told us how kind we
must be to our father in his loneliness
and then she kissed US goodby and went
asleep as a child in a cradle
What made her so composed? Natural
courage? mo, you say, mother was
very nervous. When the carriage inclined
to the side of the road, she would CRY
out; she was always rather weakly
What, then, gave her composure? Was
it because she did not care much for you
and the pang of parting was not great,
''Oh, you say, ''she showered upon us
a wealth of affection; no mother evel
loved her children more than mother
loved us; she showed it by the way she
nursed US when we were sick, and she
toiled for us until her strength gave out. >
What, then. was it that gave her com
posture in the last hour? Do not hide it
Be frank and let me know 'Oh," yor
say, sit was because she was so good
she made the Lord her portion, and she
had faith that she would go straight tt
glory, and that we should all meet her al
last at the foot of the throne"
Here are people who say: 81 saw
Christian brother die, and he triumphed ;
And some one else: II saw a Christian
sister die, and she triumphed. - Some
one else will say: 81 saw a Christian
daughter die, and she triumphed. ;
Come, all We who have seen the las
moments of a Christian, and give test
mony HI this cause on trial. Uncover
your heads, put your hand on the ole
family Bible, from which they used t.
read the promises, and promise in the
presence of high heaven that you will tel
the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth. With what YOU have
seen with your own eyes, and from what
you have heard with your own ears, is
there power in this Gospel to give calm
ness and triumph in the last exigencyi
The response comes from all sides, from
young and old and middle aged: 1--WE
are witnessesr'
You see, my friends, / have not put
before you an abstraction, or a chimera,
or anything like guess work. present
| you afiidavits of the best men and women,
living and dead. Two witnesses in court
will establish fact. Here are not two
witnesses, but thousands of Witnesses
on earth millions of witnesses. and in
heaven great multitude of witnesses
that no man can number, testifying that
there Is power in this religion to convert
the soul, to give comfort in trouble, and
| to afford composure in the last hour
If ten men should come TO you when
you are sick with appalling sickness. and
say they had the same sickness, and took
a certain medicine, and it cured them.
you would probably take it. Now, sup
pose ten other men should come up and
say: 'sWe don't believe there is anything
in that medicine. well" / saw.
"have you ever tried it?''
mo. never tried it, but don't be-
leve there is anything in it. y OF course
you discredit their testimony. The
skeptic may come and say: There is no
power IN your religion" Have you
ever tried itf'' mo, no. Then
avaunt!' Let me take the testimony of
the millions of souls that have been con-
verted to God and comforted in trial and
solaced in the last hour. We will take
i -